A hurricane watch was issued Monday for coastal areas of Texas and Mexico as Tropical Storm Alex continued to slowly intensify.

The watch was in effect for parts of the Texas and Mexican coasts, the National Hurricane Center said in a statement.

Affected areas include the coast of Texas south of Baffin Bay to the Rio Grande and along the coast of Mexico from the Rio Grande through La Cruz.

Alex is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Tuesday, the statement said.

A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the area. It is typically issued 48 hours ahead of the first anticipated occurrence of the storm conditions.

Although the storm was not due to directly hit the massive BP oil spill off the southern U.S. state of Louisiana, the storm could still generate waves that would hamper clean-up and containment efforts, AFP reported.

Alex, the first major storm of the Atlantic season, unleashed landslides and floods that killed at least 10 people in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.